Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 25 Tishri, 5785

As I read the portion – and my thoughts from last year, I am grounding in this idea of “Corruption” initially.   We just came out of an energy time where the shadow energy was ALL ABOUT Corruption.  This shadow work is designed to bring us into the gift of equilibrium, and the prize of Harmony.

As we shifted – and moved into the energy of the shadow of purposelessness? Our drive is challenged. Because like you, my purpose and drive is usually centered around “perfection.”  When I can accept the corruption of my own heart – the places I am not perfect, and find equilibrium and harmony within?  I am not sure what to do with myself. I find myself wanting to “pick fights” to create conflict and chaos. Because survival has BEEN my drive.

The story of Noah is beautiful.  He builds an ark to survive the storm. But what happens when the storm is over? When the flood waters receded? Noah was purposeless.

What happens when we “arrive” in a moment? We tend to look ahead for ways to act in a moment to live towards our purpose.

What if? Instead of looking ahead? We live in this moment in totality? Total immersion in a moment?

If we stopped and took a breath – and played with our consciousness. I can focus my consciousness anywhere or time I’d like. I don’t often make the choice to land my consciousness here. In this particular moment. What do I see, hear, smell, taste, touch? What is my body doing? Where is my breath? My heartbeat. So much data in a moment.  The goal of the shadow of purposelessness? The gift of totality in a moment. To just be.

Here’s the secret. If we can navigate the purposeless and arrive in this moment to just be? We will achieve immortality. By choosing to live a moment with passion and purpose? Being open to the moment and what it has for us (as opposed to seeing it disruptive to the path we’ve been walking?) – that is being immortal in a moment. And then the next. And the next. And the next. Forever. These moments? Can be forever. This is freedom!

This is the ark we are building for this moment. The safety. The security. The survival. The freedom.

What are your thoughts?

Here is my commentary from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 30 Tishri, 5784
Parsha Noah: (Genesis 6:9- 11:32) 
First Portion: Genesis 6:9-22

Today is a special day!  At Sundown tonight, we will start a new month: Cheshvan!  I wrote earlier about this new month.  It is a month free of Holy days.  A month/cycle for us to fully implement what we are learning. 

This is juxtaposed with the new Parsha of Noah – about a flood. 

We start the passage here (Genesis 6:9-13):

9These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God.

10And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth became full of robbery.

12And God saw the earth, and behold it had become corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.

13And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth has become full of robbery because of them, and behold I am destroying them from the earth.”

In a sense, I think the learning from last week is designed to flood this new month – wiping away the past hurts, wounds, and trauma.  As we read yesterday, there was almost a “collective” trauma happening on the earth – and this is why Hashem was sending the flood.  Noah was the light in the spiritual darkness that had come upon the earth.  What is our “light” in the darkness around us? What can we look to within?  What is the Noah inside of us that will trust Hashem in this process?

If the earth represents our internal “spiritual condition” – where is our corruption?  I don’t know about you, but I don’t see myself as perfect in any way.  And the descent into slavery is to avoid recognizing the corruption within!

Hashem doesn’t leave us in our own corruption.  He wants to destroy the corruption within us.  And here is the plan for Noah, who, in my opinion, may represent our Neshama:

14Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch.

15And this [is the size] you shall make it: three hundred cubits the length of the ark, fifty cubits its breadth, and thirty cubits its height.

16You shall make a skylight for the ark, and to a cubit you shall finish it to the top, and the entrance of the ark you shall place in its side; you shall make it with bottom [compartments], second story [compartments], and third story [compartments].

17And I, behold I am bringing the flood, water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the spirit of life, from beneath the heavens; all that is upon the earth will perish.

18And I will set up My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

Hashem is asking Noah to build an ark. A sealed protection.  What does this look like within us? 

I see this as taking all of the things we are learning, and holding them “sealed” or “sacred” within us.  As the storms rage around us – and they WILL rage around us – what are we going to hold on to?

Today’s portion ends with the line: “And Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

So what will we do?

Remember, We learned last week:

• The Path of Ascension begins with curiosity and not judgement
• If someone’s curiosity causes doubt and defensiveness, be curious about our own doubt and defensiveness and NOT their motives for curiosity.
• The tree of life is within us. Choose life within with curiosity and not judgment
• Learn to balance the comfort of stumbling, with the challenge of pushing ourselves towards spiritual growth.

This is what I am personally putting into my ark.  This is what I will do.  How about you?